Liquid fuel feeding means for resonance combustion chambers



June 3, 1952 R. H. GODDARD 2,599,103

LIQUID FUEL FEEDING MEANS FOR RESONANCE COMBUSTION CHAMBERS Filed Oct. 17, 1946 'IIIIIIIIIIII I 'l. 'IIIIIIIIA Patented June 3, 1952 LIQUID FUEL FEEDING MEANS FOR RESO- NANCE COMBUSTION CHAMBERS Robert H. Goddard, deceased, late of Annapolis, 7

Md., by Esther C. Goddard, executrix. Worcester, Mass., assignor of one-half to The Daniel and Florence Guggenheim Foundation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application October 17, 1946, Serial No. 703.882

which a pair of such resonance combustion chambers may be fired alternately and in predetermined timed relation and also with very high frequency.

The invention further relates to arrangements and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

A preferred form of the invention is shown in the drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a sectional plan view of a pair of resonance chambers embodying the invention;

Fi 2 is a sectional view of one of the chambers, taken. along the line 22 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary portion of a chamber wall;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a geared valve ring;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of a slightly modified valve ring construction;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a valve driving pinion;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary end view, showing the engagement of the driving pinion with the valve rings; and

Fig. 8 is an enlarged sectional elevation'of a valve ring and associated parts.

Referring to Fig. 1, combustion apparatus is shown comprising two combustion devices D and D, each having an air-collecting portion l0, a combustion chamber II, and a discharge nozzle l2. An air-directing member I 4 is mounted in each combustion device between the air-collector I and the combustion chamber H.

Each member I4 is supported by webs I (Fig. 2) in spaced relation to the combustion chamber wall and provides a relatively narrow annular passage I6 for the in-flow of the collected air to the combustion chamber l I.

The forward or left-hand surface of each airdirecting member 14 is of generally conical shape but with an outwardly convex surface, which facilitates air flow past said member. The rear surface of each member [4 is recessed as indicated at lit: in Fig. 1 to provide a concave annular surface which facilitates the production of vortices in the combustion chamber I l, with cor-' respondingly thorough intermingling of the air and the 1iquid or gaseous fuel.

* 2 Claims. (Cl. 35.6)

An annular casing 20 surrounds each combustion chamber II and encloses a separate valve ring 22 foreach combustion chamber II. The chamber wall within the; casing 20 has a plurality of uniformly spaced feed openings 24 (Fig. 3), and each valve ring 22 has an equal number of similarly spaced feed openings 26 (Fig. 4) The valve rings 22 rotate freely but with limited clearance about the combustion chambers I I, and the feed openings 26 are advanced progressively into and out of alignment with the openings 24. Liquid or gaseous fuel may be fed to the casings 20 through a joint axial feed pipe 30.

The two valve rings 22 are simultaneously rotated by a driving pinion 32 (Figs. 1, 6 and '7), the engagement of the pinion 32 and valve rings 22 being such that when the feed openings for one chamber are in alignment, the feed openings for the other chamber are out of alignment. The pinion 32 may be rotated by an axially positioned motor M, supported by the annular casings 20. Fuel from the pipe 30 may enter the casing 20 through ports 33 in the pinion 32.

As the valve rings 22 are thus rapidly rotated by the motor M through the driving pinion 32, the feed openings 26 and 24 will be alternately aligned and disaligned many times during each rotation of each valve ring, so that a pulsating fuel feed of very high frequency will be attained. The period of admission of fuel for each alignment of the feed openings may be prolonged by providing modified valve rings 40 (Fig. 5) having elongated feed openings 4| which will remain in communication with the fixed feed openings 24 for a longer period of angular advance movement of the ring valve.

The described apparatus is well adapted for its intended purposes and provides an efficient and economical method of producing combustion gases for rocket apparatus.

Having been thus described, the invention is not to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what is claimed is:

1. In a resonance apparatus comprising a combustion unit having an air-collecting portion, a discharge nozzle aligned therewith and a combustion portion interposed between said aircollecting portion and said discharge nozzle and through which air flows in a continuous stream, and said combustion portion having a multiplicity of peripheral fuel ports disposed in an annular series in said portion, in combination, a single annular fuel valve rotatable about said combustion portion and having a multiplicity of fuel-admitting openings equal in number and between said two units and rotates I nular valves thereof simultaneously anamequal speeds, and in which said "'aiirifllarfvalves are.

- 3 spacing to said peripheral fuel ports, means to supply liquid fuel to the air in the continuous airstream through said multiplicity of fuel-admittin opefi fig afiu iiriiz fi it' f emi ,si lp independentfiowr means efiectiiie to Totate'said fuel valve and to thereby open and close all of said fuel-admitting openings and said peripheral fuel ports simultaneously and at predeterminedhigh frequency.

2. The combination in resonancejapparja'ltus a s set forth in claim 1, in whichjtwii ombustipn 13 h units are mounted in adjac gamer is and in which the single power"n'1e held in such angular relation by said interposed power means that the ports in one combustion un' are opened when the ports in the other com- REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of" this patent:

a "ifJ NfTfiTn s'r" Number Name Date 1,006,088 Hippisley Oct. 17, 1911 iI; 32,.7;08. 7 Edwards Mar. 23, 1915 1 t 1369;672 Koenig Feb. 22, 1921 Kadenacy Mar. 15, 1938 'rgorsym Sept. 23, 1947 g 'rje Aug. 30, 1949 Kemmer Sept. 26, 1950 V FGREIGN PATENTS Nuinler- Gountry Date 5315, 181? France Oct. 17, 1904 3651542 France June 15. 1906 

